The Signpost was first published January 10, 2005. To celebrate, we are excited to present some special items in this issue related to the past and future of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia movement more broadly.
We hope you enjoy as much as we have in putting it together for you.
In today's fast-paced, live-a-day world, it's hard to know what lurks around the corner of each new day, and since 2005 Wikipedia has grown from the scrappy upstart to the respected incumbent. Newspapers that wouldn't give us the time of day in the early years now paean our staid virtues. Governments, corporations, and the powerful of all stripes across the globe seek to censor, manipulate, or bury our content, or persecute our editors. Sometimes they even go so far as to make tweets calling us woke.
Much has changed over these years, in the world and on Wikipedia, but the utility of a journalistic enterprise here has remained constant: even in 2005, the first article said that we were "well past the stage where, even when considered in broader terms, anyone can singlehandedly stay on top of events here". Well, it's not like it has gotten any easier since then. And although we are now to the point where our drama is often considered newsworthy enough to be reported on by mainstream outlets, there remains a role for a publication written by people who are good at reading diffs (at least most of the time).
Over the last two decades, The Signpost has been through a lot, and there were even times when it looked like it was the end — luckily, Wikipedians are nothing if not obstinate and unwilling to accept failure.
Here's hoping for another 5632 articles, another 705 issues, and another score.
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